Earlier this year I posted a forecast of 2016 logo design trends and now we can see the official 2016 logo trends report as compiled by Bill Gardner of LogoLounge who I recently recently interviewed.

Bill has put together the report by carefully analyzing over 250k logos from over the past 13 years.

Tweet these 2016 Logo Trends.

Logo Design Trend Reports:

• Logo Lounge: 2016 |
  2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003
• Discussion on Just Creative: 2015 | 2014 |  2013 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009

Logo Trends of 2016 Summary

• Simplification overall is a key trend
• Uncomplicated san serif fonts are in and out are added details (gradients, serifs, etc)
• Geometric shapes, especially the circle are taking center stage.
• Emojis and symbols are playing an even bigger role in today’s society, and could even soon be considered a language.
• Keywords on the rise: fitness, green, health, modern, clean, sans-serif, water, mountains, locator, pin, tea, non-profit, real estate, brewery, culture, museum, birds.
• Keywords decreased: vintage, law, sports, baking, entertainment, video games, technology, food, ministry,
• New styles taking center stage: Ombre, Circles, Half & Half, Linked, Stimming, Dog Eared, Corners, Line Dash, Off Shift, Curls, Pocket Shield, Slices, Letterblock, Benders, Bars,
• Rising Trends: Spot Pics, Wide Logos, Tinker Toys, Filters, Dumbbells.

On the topic of trends, please don’t follow trends for trends sake. Know what is right for your client and design accordingly.

Ombre

Stepped color increments

Circles

Unadulterated simplification in the form of a circle or a series of circles.

Half & Half

Splitting colors into two for dimensional effect.

Linked 

Gives depth & perspective by intertwining elements.

Stimming

A never ending continuous loop.

Dog Eared 

A container with a corner folded over or trimmed.

Corners

Right angled corners either by themselves or to frame.

Line Dash

Mono-lines combined with mono-lined dots or dashes to create texture and/or meaning.

Off Shift

Offsetting letterforms out of alignment.

Curls

Engaging curved visual shapes overlapping.

Pocket Shield

A simplified shield shape with right angled corners at the base.

Slices

Cross sectional perspective created with dimensional shapes.

Letterblock

Letters within a block, often with balance between positive & negative space.

Benders

Ambiguously twisted shapes.

Bars

Rhythm created with lines and/or bar shapes.

2016 Logo Trend Close Contenders

Below are some sub logo trends from 2016.

• Spot Pics – Icons or graphics inside a circle. eg. TNT
• Wide Logos – Horizontally wide logos. eg. Oculus and HP
• Tinker Toys – Wires and dot wires combined. eg. Think Geelong
• Filters – Grid of dots or symbols to create  a shape. eg. FitBit
• Dumbbells  – Overlapping forms to create a shape.

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Do you have any further logo design trends or inspiration to add?